He wasn't expected to do much, especially considering his first-round opponent was No. 2 seed Igor Andreev of Russia.

But Kahn didn't give an inch Monday in their match. He upset Andreev -- the United States Tennis Association's 2008 Comeback Player of the Year -- 7-6 3, 6-4 on Monday afternoon at Seascape Sports Club in Aptos.

"I thought I played a really solid match from start to finish," Klahn said. "[Andreev's] records and credentials speak for themselves. I knew coming in he was going to be a tough player. He's very experienced and has been at the top."

The 21-year-old Klahn had some nice credentials of his own. He was the NCAA champion his sophomore year and was named All-American in both singles and doubles in multiple seasons.

Andreev entered Monday's match ranked No. 95 in the world, according to the USTA. Andreev was ranked as high as No. 18 back in 2008.

"There's always nerves in general with a first-round match," Klahn said. "Playing tonight against one of the top guys, maybe I was a little more nervous, but once I got that first hold in the first game of the match I settled down."

The first set was a seesaw battle. Neither player was able to break service, resulting in a first set tiebreaker.

Brad might not be playing for a while. I'm thinking his next event might be the 100k challenger (http://www.natomaschallenger.com/) in Sacramento, CA.

Q. What is your residential situation? Do you have an interesting roommate?

STEVE JOHNSON: I'm currently homeless, so it's an interesting situation. No, I'm actually living with Brad Klahn. We're finding a place at some point in the next few weeks before we go home. It's in LA, so we'll be both based out of Carson and the USTA training center there. I think it's going to be great. Bradley and I have gone way back. To have, you know, both of us live in the same place, we can kind of push each other to go up there and do big things.

Brad might not be playing for a while. I'm thinking his next event might be the 100k challenger (http://www.natomaschallenger.com/) in Sacramento, CA.
I was wondering what happened to the guy who beat my favorite player at the USO, is he injured?

SapELee

09-26-2012, 12:24 AM

I was wondering what happened to the guy who beat my favorite player at the USO, is he injured?

No, taking a break. Brad will play in the 100k Sacramento Challenger next week and also the 100k Tiburon Challenger the week after.

J99

09-26-2012, 12:28 AM

No, taking a break. Brad will play in the 100k Sacramento Challenger next week and also the 100k Tiburon Challenger the week after.

Yeah, I see he's on the list for Sacro, but he might not get in directly, might have to play qualies if he wants to get in, same with Tib.

He is 100% pro now right since he finished college correct?

SapELee

09-26-2012, 12:42 AM

Yeah, I see he's on the list for Sacro, but he might not get in directly, might have to play qualies if he wants to get in, same with Tib.

He is 100% pro now right since he finished college correct?

He might get a wildcard (he seemed to be in good standing with the USTA as he had gotten several wildcards over the summer). Yes, he is 100% pro.

J99

09-26-2012, 12:50 AM

He might get a wildcard (he seemed to be in good standing with the USTA as he had gotten several wildcards over the summer). Yes, he is 100% pro.

Did he turn pro right after he finished college, or before that?

SapELee

09-26-2012, 12:52 AM

^ after

SapELee

09-29-2012, 10:57 PM

Brad got a wc and draws John Millman. Good luck.

Full draw: http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/15/singles_draw203.PDF

SapELee

10-02-2012, 11:19 PM

serving for the match, two dfs to give the break back :facepalm:

SapELee

10-02-2012, 11:21 PM

broke to clinch the match 76(0) 64

Ad Wim

10-04-2012, 08:59 AM

I liked him in New York. Really offensive style with lots of intensity. Really goes for his shots and when it works well it looks very impressive.
Hope he keeps this form up in next month's challengers.

SapELee

10-04-2012, 09:49 PM

Brad won 36 64 63, I could have sworn he was serving for the match at 5-1 when I left. Don't tell me I need to add him to the Kudla and Williams club.

Bradley Klahn is happy just to be playing tennis, let alone facing James Blake on Friday in the quarterfinals of the $100,000 RelyAid Natomas Challenger.

Almost one year ago, the former NCAA singles champion from Stanford underwent surgery for a herniated disc. He missed 5 1/2 months and returned with a greater appreciation for his sport.

"One of the biggest things about going through back surgery, or any surgery, is that I'm very fortunate to play tennis," the 22-year-old wild card from the San Diego suburb of Poway said after beating qualifier Greg Jones of Australia 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Thursday at the Natomas Racquet Club. "There's a lot of people out there who never get the opportunity, and I'm very grateful to be able to play professionally and travel to a lot of great places.

"It certainly hasn't come without a lot of hard work, but I guess I've been trying to enjoy it a little bit more and soak it in a little bit more because at this time last year, I was in a lot of pain. I had my surgery in mid-October last year, and you never really know if you're going to get back to the same level. I'm very happy that my back has held up."

The second-seeded Blake, who dispatched fellow 32-year-old and inaugural (2005) Sacramento champion Rik de Voest of South Africa 6-4, 6-4, endured an even more harrowing experience. He broke his neck in 2004 while practicing in Rome.

Blake slipped on a wet clay court while racing to return a drop shot and struck the net post. Had he not moved his head at the last moment, doctors said he could have been paralyzed. Two months later, he lost his father to cancer and developed zoster (shingles), a viral disease often caused by stress.

But in the following three years, Blake was named the ATP Comeback Player of the Year, reached a career-high No. 4 in the world and helped the United States end its longest Davis Cup title drought, 12 years.

Blake and Klahn have practiced together but never met in a match.

"He's extremely fast and a very offensive player," said Klahn, who qualified for the recent U.S. Open and beat former top-10 player Jurgen Melzer in the first round before losing to No. 14 Richard Gasquet of France in straight sets. "You really have to be focused and diligent and just be ready for another ball to come back and ready for it to come back fast because he's going to get over there, and he's going to take his cuts. He's going to hit his winners by you. He attacks, just like (Jones) today."

Klahn, who won the 2010 NCAA title and graduated this year in economics, rallied from a set and a break down against Jones, the boys singles runner-up in the 2007 French Open.

"He's a good player," Klahn, a diminutive left-hander with a devastating forehand, said after evening his career record to 1-1 against the 6-foot-3 Jones. "He hits the ball big, attacks well and has a good serve. The real key was I thought I started making him play more on his service games. In the first set, I didn't get many returns in. I started getting a better read on it, and that helped me out."

SapELee

10-06-2012, 12:56 AM

67 67 served for each set, but failed. Not surprising considering the way he closed out his last two matches.

J99

10-06-2012, 03:35 AM

Sad to hear about his back, too bad he ran into Blake, gotta win the matches though, gets just 18 PTS, will move him up to about #309, hopefully he gets another WC in Tib, a better draw too.

Lost 46 62 76(4), very entertaining match with a lot of great shots from both players. Too bad, Brad couldn't get the win after fighting back from 2 breaks down.

J99

10-13-2012, 01:59 PM

Yeah tough loss, Reynolds is a decent player of course, but he needed to make better use of the WC, 18 PTS again won't get him too far, hopefully he'll break into the top 300 I think for the 1st time though, looks like all he's got left for the season is Charlottesville, even then he might not get a WC and have to qualify, oh well, he can get some proper training in before he start's his 1st full season.

SapELee

10-13-2012, 02:13 PM

There are still Knoxville and Champaign challengers in November.

J99

10-13-2012, 04:26 PM

There are still Knoxville and Champaign challengers in November.

Oh right, my bad, good thing he has more than 1 chance left before the season's over.

Lost 9-7 in the final set. Had his chances, served for the match twice with 3 MPs. Had a feeling that Brad was gonna lose after failing to close it out the first time. Too many matches like this in his short career already :hug:

SapELee

07-02-2013, 08:52 PM

Winnetka Challenger R1, def. Dustov 3-6 7-6(8) 6-4

Ginepri or Dadamo next.

SapELee

07-03-2013, 08:42 PM

76 64 over Dadamo, Harrison or Smyczek next.

SapELee

07-05-2013, 02:43 AM

63 75 over Smyczek, Bogomolov in the semis. Good luck.

SapELee

07-06-2013, 04:20 AM

Def. Bogomolov 46 64 31 ret.

Advances to the final after an abrupt ending to the match. Bogomolov thought the ball was out on break point and pointed to the crowd saying someone called an "out". The umpire disagreed and Bogo called it quit. Will play Sock in the final.

Klahnís success this year came as no surprise to those few who follow NCAA tennis. Still, for those who search the ATP website for evidence of a playerís past success, this young prospect came out of nowhere.

Klahn played four full years of tennis at Stanford (2009-12), where he was an all-American in his final three seasons. He won the National Championship in singles in 2010 and was one of the best NCAA players over the next two years as well, despite not repeating that achievement.

At the core of Klahnís game lies a monster serve. He was hitting his lefty serve upwards of 130 miles per hour at the age of 20, which carried him to his National Championship. He has a strong baseline game to back it up, including a powerful forehand. While Klahn needed back surgery during his senior season, it did not affect him significantly as he played very well in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

Starting in late 2012, Klahn found himself forced to fend for himself. He was out of college, although a degree from Stanford is a great resource to have in his back pocket, and ready to take his shot at the pros.

Klahn flourished at the outset, qualifying for the 2012 US Open and upsetting Jurgen Melzer in the first round. Couple that breakthrough with a few Challenger quarterfinals in the fall, and Klahn rose to just outside the top 250 as he prepared his first full campaign as a pro.

The American has had no trouble adjusting to the professional Tour. Klahn played only three Futures tournaments in 2013, winning one of them in March for his first professional title. A middling spring led into a blistering summer for Klahn. In July, he reached two Challenger finals and a semifinal. In August, he won his first Challenger title at a 100 point event in Aptos, California. And, to back it up, he reached the second round at the US Open for the second straight year, falling to Feliciano Lopez in four sets.

Klahn closed the year with good Challenger results in the final few months, including his second title in Yeongwol three weeks ago. After closing the season with a semifinal showing in Yokohama, Klahn has cracked the top 100 for the first time.

2014 could be the year that defines the trajectory of Klahnís career. He has all the skills to be a top player and should ride a good wave of momentum heading into the next year. He is not ranked quite high enough to get into one of the 250s that start the year, but he may be able to play in Doha or Chennai if some players withdraw before then.

What being in the top 100 does mean, though, is that Klahn will gain direct entry to the Australian Open. The jump from Challengers to majors looms large, but Klahn is ready for that ultimate transition if his history is any indication.